Why do we need a state law to restrict kids’ access to video games? We don’t. An appeals court panel was right in striking down a Minnesota law that sought to do that.

None of this means that kids should be able to buy or rent Mature- and Adults Only-rated video games without adult approval. It just means that video games  shouldn’t be treated any differently than an R-rated movie, a steamy novel or an obscenity-laced CD. Last time I checked, buying those things wasn’t subject to state laws. (By the way, there are only two video games that have ever been rated as AO, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas [on appeal] and an old PlayStation game called Thrill Kill.)

Here’s what needs to happen:

• Parents should be involved enough in their kids’ video-game habits to know what they’re playing and what it’s rated. “He just disappears into his room and plays whatever he wants” is not an excuse. 
• Parents should read the ratings from the Entertainment Software Ratings Board and carefully note the descriptors for each game. A Mature rating for a game like Halo 3, which involves shooting fanciful aliens in a warlike setting, is much different than the urban-based real-life mayhem in a Mature-rated game like Grand Theft Auto. The descriptors note those differences.
• Stores should guard against kids buying games that are rated for players 17 and older without parental consent, just as theaters monitor for kids trying to get in to R-rated movies. It’s that simple. 

This issue is about parental responsibility, not legislation.  And it’s about treating video games no differently than any other entertainment media. What do you think?

This entry was posted on Monday, March 17th, 2008 at 12:07 pm and is filed under Video games. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.